Starting November 25th, gamers across the country wandering through the music section of their favorite big box store on the way to the video game section might just pause for a moment and go “Huh” as Sumthing Else Music Works releases the Gears of War 2 soundtrack to retail outlets. The soundtrack was composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky, whose work you may recognize from big-budget productions such as Transformers, The Island, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

“Epic gave me a blank canvas, which was really great,” said Steve Jablonsky, Composer for Gears of War 2. “I experimented with a lot of hybrid organic/electronic elements, and combined them with the power of a large orchestra and choir.”

Nothing says epic event quite like an orchestra and a choir, right? Worked for Halo after all. Heck, it even worked for Advent Rising, even if the epic had the word 'fail' after it.SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF GEARS OF WAR 2 THE SOUNDTRACK Original Music Score by Hollywood Composer Steve Jablonsky and performed by the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and Chorus New York – Oct. 27, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Epic Games, Inc., proudly presents Gears of War® 2 The Soundtrack. The original soundtrack from the highly anticipated blockbuster Xbox 360™ action video game will be released on Nov. 25, 2008 to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com. Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack features a new original music score composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky (“Transformers”, “The Island”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) and recorded with the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at the world famous Skywalker Sound. Epic Games wanted every aspect of Gears of War 2 to be “bigger, darker, and crunchier” than the original game, including the bombastic orchestral soundtrack. Drawing on his extensive experience scoring big budget action films as well as a unique musical repertoire and Hollywood production values, Jablonsky was the perfect match for creating the adrenaline-pumping, emotionally charged Gears of War 2 score. “It’s been a real treat working with Steve on the score for Gears of War 2. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and believe the Gears community will embrace the new sound," said Mike Larson, Audio Director of Epic Games. "We’ve designed Gears 2 to impact players on a deep emotional level, and much of that connection is made with music that grabs their attention and makes them feel personally involved with the game universe. We have aimed to create something a bit more serious, cinematic, and refined with a harder-hitting approach toward composition and production.” “Epic gave me a blank canvas, which was really great,” said Steve Jablonsky, Composer for Gears of War 2. “I experimented with a lot of hybrid organic/electronic elements, and combined them with the power of a large orchestra and choir.” Track Listing: 1. Return Of The Omen 2. Hope Runs Deep 3. Green As Grass 4. Expectations 5. Finally, A Lead 6. Armored Prayer 7. Hold Them Off 8. Derrick Chase 9. Building Thunder 10. Hell Breaks Loose 11. Bedlam 12. Breakneck 13. Landown 14. Racing To Extinction 15. If They Can Ride Em 16. Hollow 17. Unexpected Changes 18. March Of The Horde 19. Highway 20. Denizens Of The Deep 21. With Sympathy 22. Insurmountable Odds 23. Bump In The Night 24. Frenzy 25. Outpost 26. Finale 27. Autumn Of Mankind Gears of War 2 tells the story of humanity's last stand against the nightmarish, underground Locust Horde, and is the follow-up to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. Gears of War 2 blends best-in-class third-person shooter action with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution. Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide on Nov. 7 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. For more information, visit http://gearsofwar.com.